(A/N: I'm sorry about this chapter. It's probably pretty crappy, because I was rushing to finish it. Anyhow, here it is at last.Enjoy.)
Disclaimer: I do not own Card Captor Sakura. I own whatever their personalities are in this story and any character that I make up. I own my storyline.
Chapter 4
Sakura opened her eyes. Blearily, she recalled the events of last night. Or was it still last night? In the windowless, unchanging room, she had no connection to the outside world, and no way to tell how much time had gone by. She groaned. The wall was an unforgiving pillow. More than once during her sleep, she had been awakened by the pain of hitting her head on the cold stone. To add onto her discomfort, her legs had fallen asleep, numb and unfeeling in their cramped position. Wincing, she leaned back and used the wall for support.
"Ow," she muttered as she immediately fell back down. The pins and needles were starting.
Someone giggled from outside. Instantly, Sakura's face turned to stone, and she settled down on the floor again.
The door opened and in walked Tomoyo, but she wasn't alone. A thin boy with dark blue hair and matching eyes followed closely behind her. Tomoyo flushed lightly as Sakura looked at them. She had learned to read the subtle body language and slight facial expressions that Sakura sent out when she was at ease.
Tomoyo smiled at Sakura, but inwardly she was rejoicing. Rika trusted her enough to have let her guard down slightly, even when she came in with someone the girl had never seen before. I'm warming to her.
Eriol looked at the girl curiously, but not in an intruding manner. Then, with a polite bow and a smile, but not so much as a greeting, he said to her,
"Why does such a pretty girl have such sad eyes?"
Sakura looked at him calmly, but she was surprised. Did she have such sad eyes, so that even a stranger could tell? Of course, now that she thought of it, this was no ordinary stranger. She sensed something coming from him. Not power, exactly, but more like a gentle wave of empathy. This boy was like Tomoyo, in a sense. Though Tomoyo was more likely to smile and laugh and chase away fears, this boy understood them, and in doing so, found their weaknesses. But she didn't answer his question, merely raised an inquiring eyebrow. Then she shut her eyes.
"If you couldn't see my eyes, would you think they were sad?"
Eriol and Tomoyo were taken aback. This was new. Tomoyo answered,
"Not at first. At first, I'd think you were angry."
Sakura opened her eyes and scrutinized the girl closely. She was a lot sharper than she let on. They both were. I've been playing this game my whole life. They don't know anything more than I've let on either.
"What are you doing here? Surely you didn't come just to stand here chattingaway with me."
Tomoyo sighed. Just when she thought she was actually making some headway, Rika closed up and left her wondering. Will I ever gain her trust?
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Sakura was worried. She tried not to show it, but she was extremely worried. It was her fifth day as a captive of the Master and his gang. Every day, he called to see her, somtimes more than once. And every time he did this, he looked at her body with an ever-hungry expression that she found very unsettling.
Curled up against the wall, lost in her thoughts, she didn't hear the footsteps outside the door until it swung open. Instantly, she sprang to her feet and stepped away from the wall. She relaxed slightly when she saw Tomoyo. Stepping inside, Tomoyo absentmindedly kicked the door shut behind her and deposited another bundle at Sakura's feet. Sakura glanced down and saw a deep red frill peeping out from the bag. She glared up at the ceiling, sighing.
Tomoyo smiled at this, and said gently, "Rika, it's okay."
"Define 'okay'."
"I guess...well it's not that okay. He wants you to put on the dress."
"And what else is new?" asked Sakura, raising a sarcastic eyebrow.
"You're going to be spending the rest of the day with him," Tomoyo said quickly. "So it's not that okay. But I'm sure you'll be fine, Rika." The girl amended her own words with an encouraging smile.
Sakura cringed again inwardly. She liked Tomoyo, truly, and the whole "Rika" thing was getting out of hand. A tiny seed of guilt had been planted in her mind, and it would only grow. But she pushed the thought out, along with the fact that the longer she waited to tell Tomoyo her real name, the worse her friend would take the news.
Hang on...my friend? When did that happen? When did she become my friend? I have no friends, and I'm glad. Even friendship is probably too risky in times like these. I'm getting too attached to her. This won't do. But I don't want to do something I'll regret later, or anything that will make her sad. Damn. Damn all this that I tried to prevent. It wasn't just love, it was friendship too. Now look at what's happened. I don't want to hurt her, and that could ultimately drag me down. No. No, no no. This definitely won't do.
"Rika?" Tomoyo asked cautiously. Rika sometimes drifted off into trances, and though Tomoyo would give just about anything to know what she thought of during those trances, she wouldn't dare ask.
Sakura's eyes snapped up to Tomoyo's face. "Yes?"
"N-nothing. Just...the Master wants to see you as soon as possible. So that...he can have as much time as he can with you, he said." Though she tried to keep her voice level, Rika still scared her sometimes.
"Did he say anything else?" Sakura was still looking Tomoyo right in the eye, as if trying to catch anything the other girl hadn't said.
"No, but you really should get going." Tomoyo looked away, and picked up the bag. She reached in and took out a bundle of dark red cloth. Shaking it out, she smiled fondly.
"I made this dress myself. The Master liked it, so he said you should wear it tonight."
Catching Sakura's less-than-ecstatic expression, she sighed. "I'm sorry...I didn't mean for him to like it so much."
Sakura reached out and took the dress from Tomoyo. She looked it up and down. It was indeed a beautiful creation, though not really from her point of view. A form-fitting bodice adorned with tiny diamonds sparkled under the dim light. The skirt was voluminous, though not so much that her figure couldn't be seen, completed with just the right amount of frills. Elegant black designs crawled all around the dress, interlacing with the diamonds and spilling out onto the short, sweeping train.
Sakura looked up, noticing Tomoyo was gazing at her with shining eyes, as if she expected extravagant praise. Sakura had to work to keep her eyebrow from twitching.
"It's...umm...pretty."
Tomoyo smiled happily. "Awesome! I'm so glad you like it. Then you won't mind wearing it so much."
Sakura's eyebrow did twitch as Tomoyo helped her put the dress on. It fit her perfectly.
"Wow," said Tomoyo admiringly. "You look so good, and the colour really contrasts with your eyes. I love it!"
"Yeah." Sakura frantically searched her mind for something that would help her escape from this overeager girl. She was beginning to wonder if anyone could possibly be so happy all the time. It was almost unnatural. "Well...I suppose I'd better go."
"You probably should," Tomoyo agreed. "Good luck again Rika! Though you probably won't need it. The Master seems to favour you."
That's what I'm worried about.
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"Ah, hello Sakura."
Sakura nodded slightly at the figure sitting in his stiff chair. Her eyes wandered towards the back corner. Ever since that day, she had not seen him anywhere. Wrenching her mind from thoughts of his amber eyes staring into her own, she looked straight at the Master, and found herself hating him more than she had before. If thoughts could kill, the man would have died five days ago. Him and most of the world, she thought with renewed venom.
"I suppose you have made friends with Tomoyo." He paused, waiting for an answer from her. Stiffly, Sakura stood there and looked back at him. When no answer came, he nevertheless smiled mirthlessly and continued. "I suppose, too, that she has told you everything she thinks there is to know about me, and my organization."
Sakura stood there, her mind working fast. How could he possibly have known that Tomoyo had told her about everything? How could he have known that Eriol had told Tomoyo about everything? And now, what was she to do? If she told him that she did indeed know, and that Tomoyo had indeed spilled, Tomoyo would no doubt get into a huge amount of trouble, and Eriol too. As much as she tried to resist, the other girl was growing on her. Eriol, too, had a kind of charm that was strangely vibrant on her unused "friend" radar. But if she didn't tell him the truth, he would no doubt find out anyway. After all, the Master had many connections. What to do? Protect herself and give away all, or protect them and selflessly put herself on the line?
Suddenly, the Master stood. With a jolt, she realized that this was the first time she'd actually seen him clearly in any position other than his superior sitting one. As he unfolded his long body, she recoiled slightly at the knowledge that he was even more intimidating than before. Somehow though, he seemed more human, and not merely a robot who just sat there and gave commands. The thought of him actually being human scared her more than anything else.
He spoke softly. "Even if she hasn't"--He doesn't know, she realized. He was just trying to corner me into telling...and hope, an emotion she was not used to, surged inside of her. "---I will tell you. Unfortunately, you may not be able to understand. No matter.
"As you have probably guessed, I have no sons. I have no heirs, no one, not one living relative who will take over the throne of my empire when I die." (Let that be soon, Sakura thought dryly.) "My empire is very great. It stretches over a range of things that you can't even begin to comprehend about. However, my request from you is simple. You can help me. You can be a part of the empire that everyone wants to be a part of. There are women who would die to be in your place right now, do you know that little girl?" He looked at her intently. His gaze made her blood run cold, and sent bad vibes rattling down her spine. She knew what was coming next. The look in his eyes said all. She had seen it too many times to be mistaken about it.
"I need you to help me produce an heir. That shouldn't be too hard." He walked closer to her. Against her will, fear and disgust made her step back. He stopped, staring down at her.
"Of course, if you fail to comply, things will happen. Bad things will happen."
Sakura panicked. She didn't know what to do. What was this madman thinking? She gulped, tried to move, couldn't. The Master took this as consent. He moved in closer to her, his eyes gazing hungrily at her body. Grabbing her wrist, he yanked her towards him, and pressed up against her.
Horrified, Sakura nevertheless kept her head. She whirled around fast, and struck out with the heel of her stiletto. Later, thinking about what had happened, she had to give the Master credit. He reacted to her attack so quickly that she barely had time to register what he had done. He grabbed her foot, heel and all, and twisted it in such a way that it was a miracle her whole leg didn't get repositioned. Fighting down the pain, she whipped around and her arm came shooting through the air, aiming for the soft part of his neck. If she had made contact, he would have died instantly, or at least have gone into a coma. Unfortunately, he wasn't called the Master for nothing. His arm shot up and blocked her attack easily, and his hand twisted around and clamped down on her wrist. He forced it up behind her back, and made her bend over to keep the force from snapping the shoulder bone right out of the socket.
The pain was overwhelming. As she stood there, hunched over and leaning on her left leg, all that filled her mind was the pain. Pain, and some self-hatred, at her weak and humbled state. Using the moment of relapse, Sakura breathed deeply and quietly, letting her mind wander, feeling instead her whole body, and not just the areas of pain. As the pain dimmed, she slid her eyes around, trying to spot the Master. She could feel him just behind her, his breathing as light and even as it was when he had been sitting down. Again, she felt an odd sense of awe at what he could do. Until he spoke. When he did, every syllable was controlled, but hidden in his voice was carefully supressed anger.
"I should kill you for trying that bag of old tricks on me." Sakura almost stopped breathing then, knowing full well that he could indeed kill her. No matter how many times she told herself that she didn't care, deep inside, she really wasn't ready for death yet. After all, she wasn't yet eighteen. But she wouldn't let that show. So she just stood there, waiting for the Master's decision. Feeling oddly calm, she knew somehow that he wouldn't kill her. Not today, at least.
"I won't kill you. Not today," he said. Sakura breathed easier. "But that's only because I think you'll change your mind. Perhaps not today, not tomorrow, perhaps not even a year from now." Damn right. "So until you do, you shall be punished." I wonder how much worse my life could get right now. I don't think his punishment would make much difference. Then,
"Syaoran."
Sakura's eyes flew up, in time to see the boy who had haunted her dreams melt from the shadows and come toward them. She was so preoccupied that she didn't notice the Master had let go of her arms, letting her circulation finally flow. Syaoran came closer.
"Yes Master?"
"Take this girl to the confinement area. Tell Tomoyo to come change her out of that dress, and put something more suitable on her. She is not to be released until she relents. You know what I mean."
Syaoran came forward, and grasped Sakura around the wrists.
And though she was almost crying from the pain, though she was dead inside and numb outside, though she was incapable of feeling almost anything, she felt his touch. It electrified her, more intensely than it had the last time they touched. She felt his skin against hers, his fingers wrapping firmly around her arms, and felt the rushing of his blood underneath.
As he straightened her up and walked her quickly out of the room, she felt something else. It was a strange sort of understanding, something that had passed between them the other day when she had watched him being tortured, something she had just brushed off and not paid attention to until this moment. This understanding...it hit her suddenly. She knew. She knew he was just like her.
(A/N: Well, another chapter. What did you think? Tell me in your reviews. Was it crappy? I will continue this time, but reviews, constructive criticism in particular, will make it better. I apologize to Kawaii Kitty-chan for breaking my promise, and to prove that I'm truly sorry, I will not threaten this time.)
